Amorphous titanium carbide on N-defective g-C3N5 for high-efficiency photocatalytic NO removal

Photocatalytic NO removal is regarded as an attractive strategy to reduce NO pollution in the air, but the lack of efficient and stable catalysts impedes its applications. Herein, we report on developing Ti3C2 supported on N-defective g-C3N5 nanosheets (CNX/TC) as an efficient photocatalyst toward NO removal. It is noteworthy that TC changed from crystal structure to amorphous structure during the photocatalytic process. Due to the existence of N vacancies and amorphous structure, the designed CNX/TC composites possess abundant unsaturated sites for adsorption and activation of O2 and NO, thus facilitating the removal of NO and inhibiting the generation of NO2. The as-prepared CNX/TC-2% shows the best activity for NO removal and inhibits toxic NO2 generation. The removal rate of NO is up to 48%, which is about 2 and 4 times higher than those of pure CNX and CN, respectively. In addition, the in situ diffused reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy was used to investigate the NO transfer pathway during the photocatalytic process. This work might provide new insights into the catalytic role of N-defect and amorphous, inspiring the rational design of catalysts in the field of photocatalytic NO removal.